Cause of inmate’s death still unexplained
The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office has deferred a determination of the cause of death of a 35-year-old Halawa Correctional Facility inmate who died Thursday morning.
However, a Department of Public Safety official said prison officials do not suspect foul play or suicide.
Donovan Valdez was found unresponsive in his cell and was taken to Pali Momi Medical Center, where he died at 7:07 a.m.
He was serving time for parole violation and terroristic threatening.
15 kids treated for pepper spray exposure
Fifteen elementary-age students in a Palolo city summer program were taken to hospitals Friday morning and treated for exposure to pepper spray, paramedics reported.
Emergency Medical Services said the incident occurred at 9:15 a.m. at Palolo Valley District Park.
Police officers were making a presentation to Summer Fun participants when some of the kids began coughing and rubbing their eyes, and the gym was evacuated.
Police said one of the children apparently had brought the pepper spray and discharged it.
The children were reported to be stable condition at three hospitals.
Summer Fun staff from the city Department of Parks and Recreation accompanied the children to supervise and care for them.
Police initiated an investigation.
2 hospitalized in near-drowning incidents
Paramedics and family members performed CPR on a 16-year-old boy and 20-year-old man who nearly drowned Friday at Nimitz Beach in the Kalaeloa area, according to a Division of Emergency Medical Services report.
Witnesses brought the two victims to shore, where family members began CPR until paramedics arrived at about 2:10 p.m., the report said.
Paramedics took the two victims to the hospital, where the 20-year-old man was in critical condition and the 16-year-old was in serious condition.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
2 hikers found after being lost in Puna forest
Hawaii County firefighters located two lost hikers who spent Thursday night in a heavily forested area of the Puu Makaala National Area Reserve in Puna, and accompanied them to safety Friday morning.
Fire officials said the man and the woman, both in their 50s, began the hike heading to Kulani Cone at the 5,000-foot elevation at 1 p.m. Thursday. The couple sent a text message at 6:30 p.m. saying they were lost. The message was not read until later that evening, and officials started a search at 10:30 p.m.
Fire rescue personnel searched along a marked trail, then cut a path to the couple’s last known GPS coordinates.
The search was suspended after midnight and resumed at 5:30 a.m.
The couple was contacted by cellphone Friday morning and their location pinpointed by a crew in the Fire Department helicopter.
